1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a food serving plate and, more particularly, to a plate designed to enable both the plate and a beverage container to be held simultaneously with only one hand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most of the consumption of food on the part of humans is carried out while the diner is seated at a table. The table serves to hold the various plates, beverage containers, and eating utensils freeing the diner's hands to manipulate the food and drink, among other things.
However, a significant amount of food consumption takes place in the absence of a table or a similar structure on which the food and drink can be conveniently supported. For example, as part of many social functions, guests consume food and drink while standing and socializing with each other, far from any convenient structure on which the drink or the plate can be supported. Such a situation requires that the food and drink be continuously supported by the guest.
Since one hand is typically required to support the plate and another hand is required to manipulate the food on the plate, as, for example, with a fork, and since yet another hand is required to support and manipulate the beverage container, the two-handed social guest is left with an annoying dilemma.
One placed in this situation may forego the food and simply drink, or one may forego the drink and content oneself with the food. Alternatively, one may consume both the drink and the food but do so sequentially, i.e., finish doing one before starting the other, rather than doing both more or less simultaneously as would be most desirable.
One in a position of a guest determined to have both one's food and one's drink concomitantly is forced to resort to either of two unfortunate compromises. One can position oneself close to a table or similar structure on which one can rest one's drink between sips. Alternatively, one can precariously balance one's food-laden plate on top of one's beverage container whenever one desires to partake of one's food.
The first option physically confines the guest to a particular location, usually away from the center, and severely limits the guest's ability to mingle and socialize. The second option can have dire implications for business suits, evening gowns and carpeting.
There is thus a widely recognized need for a convenient and inexpensive means for simultaneously holding a food serving plate and a beverage while using only one hand, thereby freeing the other hand to carry out such tasks as manipulating a fork or shaking hands in greeting.
Various attempts have been made to solve this problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,274 discloses a portable tray table. Included integrally in the tray is a cup holder extending through the tray surface and downward from the center of the tray. The cup holder can be grasped by one hand to support the tray. The tray structure is very complex and would be expensive to produce. Because of the complexity of the structure the material of construction for the device would, in practice, be limited to rigid substances. Furthermore, having the cup holder in the middle of the tray robs the tray of some of the prime space which could have been utilized for the holding of food.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 211,532 shows a serving tray which is made up of a triangular flat plate having a circular central downward extending member at the middle of the plate which appears to be capable of holding a beverage container. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,958 discloses a food and beverage serving device. The device includes a beverage receptacle having an outward extending flange on which food can be supported. Here too, the structures disclosed in the two references is limited to rigid materials of construction and much of the space which would have been occupied by food is preempted to accommodate the beverage container holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,672 discloses a plate assembly which includes a cup support member located at a point near the edge of the plate which is integrally formed with the body of the plate assembly. In use, the support member is grasped by one hand while the plate assembly rests on the forearm to give the acentrically loaded assembly added stability. While this assembly places the beverage holder to one side of the plate, the presence of the holder continues to rob scarce plate space which would have been better utilized to accommodate food. In addition, shifting the holder from the center of the plate, as in the references discussed above, to the side, as in the '672 patent, introduces considerable instability. Such instability would be particularly disadvantageous, particularly where paperboard plates, rather than rigid plastic plates, are used. The disclosure of the '672 patent acknowledges the inherent instability when it recommends that the plate be supported on the forearm in addition to being grasped around the beverage holder.
Other solutions have also been proposed. For example, plastic devices are commercially available which can be temporarily attached at one of its ends onto the edge of a plate. The other end of the device is configured so as to accept a beverage container. A disadvantage of this device is that it tends to destabilize the plate and cause it to tilt or bend in one direction.
It would be desirable to have a convenient and inexpensive way of simultaneously holding both a food plate and a beverage container using only one hand. Specifically, there is a clear need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a cheaply mass-produced plate which would allow one to hold both the plate and a beverage container using only one hand without significantly increasing the chance of spillage of either the food or the drink.